"If a holy man takes something for his god, does that make him a thief?"
- —Rudolf Klammer, Brotherhood of Altdorf[1b]
The Brotherhood is an extension of the Cult of Ranald, part criminal syndicate, part religious organisation.
The Brotherhood is a mysterious Ranaldian order that stretches all across the Old World, represented in some fashion in nearly every large city of Men. The order is dedicated to one aspect of Ranald, the god of fortune and mischief: the Night Prowler. The network supports the work of some of the more adventurous cultists of Ranald in their efforts to steal as much as they can get from the privileged classes. The Brotherhood isn't exactly a criminal organisation, nor is it a blasphemous cult, but it appears a little like both.[1a][2b]
The Brotherhood's leadership and structure are a matter of strict secrecy.[2b] Indeed, it isn't even known if the Brotherhood is formally organised or just a loose association.[3a]
Activities and Strictures[]
The Brotherhood abides by the traditional Ranaldian stricture of refraining from violence except in cases of self-defence, although their definition of self-defence can be rather liberal in the cases of watchmen and jailers.[2b]
The Brotherhood teaches the tenets of cooperation and competition: help your brother when he needs it, but through competition, the best elements will rise to the top.[3a]
Mischievous elements of the Brotherhood enjoy targetting followers of Handrich. Impersonating the god of coin's priests is a favoured tactic, allowing them to get closer to their prey and eroding trust in the cult. For this reason, the Cult of Handrich goes to great pains hunting down any members of the Brotherhood they hear about.[3a]
Many merchants are members of the Brotherhood, who sometimes even use legitimate business dealings to bring down pompous individuals.[3a]
The Brotherhood of Altdorf[]
The Brotherhood of Altdorf is particularly secretive as the Grand Theogonist and High Priest of the Cult of Verena have proscribed it and pledged to put an end to its activities.[1a][2b] Its attempts to recruit petitioners at the Shrine of Handrich in Neuesgelt have caused it to run afoul of the Merchants' Guild and Cult of Handrich as well.[2a]
The order is dedicated to helping fellow members with whatever they need to procure their goods, and to get rid of it for the best price afterwards.[1a] One of their best clients, Duke Berndt Wechsler,[2b] said to be a high-ranking cultist of Ranald himself, is a minor noble who compulsively collects the stolen valuables of other nobles. He is trying to complete his collection of all the Reiklander nobility's snuff boxes.[1a]